Lady&#39;s handbag and the like



y 21, 1940- H. P. BENDER 2,201,757

' LADYS HANDBAG m1) THE LIKE Filed Oct. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT 0R f/fi/VS P. BEDER E L L LET IIIIIEE I May 21, 1940. H. P. BENDERLADYS HANDBAG AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1937 INVENTORfi/r/vs P. 5N0ER @NEY Patented May 21, 1940 UNl'iED STATES rarest 3Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in ladies pocketbooks andhandbags and also has application to other similar personal belongings.

While the ordinary ladys pocketbook is adapted to carry a large varietyof articles and denominations of coins and bills, it is oftentimesdifiicult for milady to find a coin of a particular denomination whenWanted in a hurry, such as when one is boarding a prepayment publicconveyance.

According to my invention, I construct the pocketbook with a specialframework at the top, adapted to hold coins or bus or car tokens only,and which will release a single coin only when a thumb piece is pressedand without the necessity of opening the pocketbook or searching aroundfor the coin desired. While I am aware that coin holders of many typeshave been proposed, to be used as separate attachments to the clothingor to a pocketbook, my invention is distinguished therefrom in that theholder is built into the frame of the pocketbook itself and is thereforeinconspicuous, and the coin may be released without opening thepocketbook.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating the preferred form of myinvention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my new form ofpocketbook.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same, looking toward the coin ejecting end.I

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective View of the framework of the pocketbookforming the coin holder, with parts broken away.

Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of a modified form of handbag.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the coin holder ofthis form.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a developed plan View of the blank used to form the bottommember shown in Fig. '7.

The body I of the handbag or pocketbook shown in Fig. 1 may be of anysuitable construction and material, such as leather or cloth, and isshown as having a hinged top with the usual catch knobs 3. In place ofthe usual metal reenforcing at the top, I provide a hollow transverselyextending container 2 of sheet material, such as thin metal or Bakelite,on at least one side of the opening of the pocketbook, to which theknobs 3 and the handle strap 4 may be secured. Said container preferablyextends the entire width of the pocketbook and may be covered entirelyat the sides b-y-the leather l-. At the top of the container I provide ahorizontal slot 5 to receive the coin or token 6 of predetermined size,so that the container may be loaded through said slot. Preferably, aspring closure 7 is providedunder the slot to normally-hold the sameclosed and prevent escape of the coinsif the pocketbook is turned upsidedown. 7

At the other end of the container I have shown a vertical slot M forrelease of one coin at a time. Behind and above said slot, I provide arelease finger or catch 8 pivoted on a pin 9 and normally held with itsouter end in the downward position by a leaf or other spring Ill, whichengages the top of the container 2 at one end and a notch in catch 8 atthe other end. The under surface of said catch is concave to receive theupper edge of a coin 6', so that with the catch in the position shown inFig. l, the end coin 5' cannot escape. Upon pressure on the thumb pieceH, however, this coin will be ejected to the position shown in dottedlines, by the engagement therewith of the rear lip l2 on said catch, thecatch being rotated in a clockwise direction at that time. At the sametime the lip l2 will prevent the next coin 6" from escaping until thecatch is again released, upon which the coin 6 will roll forward as soonas the pocketbook is tilted into the position for ejecting a coin.

All that the owner need do, therefore, to secure her carfare is toslightly tip the pocketbook in a counter-clockwise direction in'Fig. 1and press the thumb piece, whereupon a single coin will be ejected intoher hand. Since the thumb piece lies directly under the hand of theperson carrying the bag, it will be next to impossible for a sneak thiefto obtain a coin without attracting the attention of the owner.

A somewhat modified form of the invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 9.Whereas the outer cover ing of the pocketbook in Figs. 1 to 5 is broughtup over the sides of the metal coin holder, in Figs. 6 to 9 the fabric Iof the pocketbook is caught under the bottom of the coin holder so thatthe metal top of the pocketbook is exposed and may be suitablydecorated, as indicated at 20. Preferably, the bottom of the containeris also made sloping toward the delivery slot Ml so that the coins willbe rolled by gravity to the proper position under the catch 8 when theforward coin is ejected, thus eliminating the necessity for tilting thepocketbook.

Preferably, the floor of the container is formed of a blank 2! of sheetmaterial, such as metal,

which is preferably made substantially triangular or trapezoidal inshape, as shown in Fig. 9, and is rolled over longitudinally to form thestructure shown in Fig. 7, with the open side at the bottom. This, then,is inserted with the closed side uppermost in between the two Walls ofthe container, forming a sloping bottom for the same, and the leatherexterior and cloth lining of one side of the pocketbook are caughtwithin the U- shaped opening in the bottom of the member 2! and clampedtherein. The strip 2| may have small end tabs 22, 22' thereon, which maybe folded over after assembling to completely enclose the leather andfabric ends.

The opposite side of the pocketbook may be formed similarly, with orwithout coin receiving and ejecting slots.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. The combination with the fabric body of a pocketbook, a hollow coincontainer of sheet material extending across the top thereof, saidcontainer having an ejecting opening at one end and a bottom formed froma strip of sheet material rolled over to form a U-shaped strip insertedbetween the sides of said container with its open side down, to receivethe top of the fabric of the pocketbook on one side.

2. A pocketbook as claimed in claim 1, in which said strip of sheetmaterial is of trapezoidal shape to cause the bottom of the container toslope toward the ejecting end.

3. The combination with the body of a pocketbook or handbag, a U-shapedbag frame having a hollow cross portion or stifi'ener serving as a coinreceptacle extending across the top of the bag opening, said crossportion having a sloping bottom and having at its top adjacent theshallow end a slot accessible from the outside, said cross portionhaving a discharge slot at its other cnd, a spring catch pivotedadjacent and above said last named slot for positioning over a coin andhaving its under surface concave to fit the top of the coin andproviding a stop for the succeeding coin resting on said sloping bottom,and a thumb piece for rocking said catch, whereby a coin thereunder isejected and the next coin prevented from rolling out.

HANS PHILIP BENDER.

